The Fairview Fire District says a fire that broke out early Monday morning at the former Hudson River Psychiatric Center in Poughkeepsie has been contained. The fire came days after crews extinguished a massive blaze at the historic property.
The smell of smoke hung in the air as multiple fire trucks with hoses on boom cranes sprayed down a smoking building on the northwest side of the abandoned 19th-century campus Monday morning.
No injuries have been reported.
Roger McIssac lives near the facility where he worked as a safety officer for 33 years. He said he wasn't bothered by the smoke.
“It didn't bother me at all. But yeah, you can smell it this close, you can smell it,” McIssac said. “It seems like this time the fire mostly was blowing south. A lot of people south in Poughkeepsie, I know, got ashes all over the cars. I didn't here.”
Poughkeepsie Town Supervisor Rebecca Edwards asked the public to avoid the property.
“It's a site where you know there are ongoing risks and hazards after a fire, with the structures still smoldering, so people should definitely stay off the site, and the fire department has today's [Monday] flare up under control, and we'll continue monitoring,” Edwards said.
The site has experienced several fires over the years, including one in 2018 that was intentionally set. The cause of Monday’s fire remains under investigation.
According to officials, crews were remaining on scene to ensure safety and manage hot spots.
New York State Route 9 and local shopping plazas remained open.
